Hey man,
I'm with the ASE guy (ditto on the ASE), I think your problem sounds like a classic case of secondary ignition neglect. When was the last time she had a full tune up? Take your cap off and look it over... if it has much in the way of corrosion replace it. Don't sand the contacts off, it will just make the problem come back quicker and it also increases the resistance in the ignition system. Also look for cracks or carbon tracking. This will look like little black trails on the plastic. If you find either just replace it wilth a quality new cap. Also check the rotor for wear and the same types of things. Always replace these two in pairs! As for the wires (including the coil wire), you should first do a visual inspection. Look at them and see if they've been rubbed through any where or if they are corroded inside the ends. If not than the next step is to Ohm them out. You will need a good DVOM for this. Just put the leads on opposing ends and set the DVOM to K Ohms. This means Ohmsx1000. The wires ends should list the Ohm reading they should have on them if they are BMW originals or Bosh. If not, the general rule is 7k ohms per foot or less. While testing the resistance of the wires, move them around and stuff to see if they have a short when moved. If one of them tests high, go ahead and replace the set as they are likely to be worse off when they are good and hot. If they're good then go ahead and put a little dielectric grease in the ends and put them back on. Oh, and by the way, only take off one at a time, that way you don't get them crossed! Very easy to do. I guess I kinda left off the most obvious part... the plugs! For the price of six cheap Bosh supers, you may as well just go ahead and buy a set before you start and replace them regardless of what they look like. Never hurts. But look them over real well when you take them out, as this can be a good indicator of what's going on inside your engine. They should all look fairly close to the same and should have a proper gap. The electrodes should have a square shoulder, if theyre rounded off, they sould be replaced. They should also be a little caramel colored or a tiny bit black. If they are white or ashy then you have other problems plaguing you. Anyhow try those things and I bet you come out on top! If not, you may have some fuel delivery problems! Let me know how it goes!

Hey man,
I'm with the ASE guy (ditto on the ASE), I think your problem sounds like a classic case of secondary ignition neglect. When was the last time she had a full tune up? Take your cap off and look it over... if it has much in the way of corrosion replace it. Don't sand the contacts off, it will just make the problem come back quicker and it also increases the resistance in the ignition system. Also look for cracks or carbon tracking. This will look like little black trails on the plastic. If you find either just replace it wilth a quality new cap. Also check the rotor for wear and the same types of things. Always replace these two in pairs! As for the wires (including the coil wire), you should first do a visual inspection. Look at them and see if they've been rubbed through any where or if they are corroded inside the ends. If not than the next step is to Ohm them out. You will need a good DVOM for this. Just put the leads on opposing ends and set the DVOM to K Ohms. This means Ohmsx1000. The wires ends should list the Ohm reading they should have on them if they are BMW originals or Bosh. If not, the general rule is 7k ohms per foot or less. While testing the resistance of the wires, move them around and stuff to see if they have a short when moved. If one of them tests high, go ahead and replace the set as they are likely to be worse off when they are good and hot. If they're good then go ahead and put a little dielectric grease in the ends and put them back on. Oh, and by the way, only take off one at a time, that way you don't get them crossed! Very easy to do. I guess I kinda left off the most obvious part... the plugs! For the price of six cheap Bosh supers, you may as well just go ahead and buy a set before you start and replace them regardless of what they look like. Never hurts. But look them over real well when you take them out, as this can be a good indicator of what's going on inside your engine. They should all look fairly close to the same and should have a proper gap. The electrodes should have a square shoulder, if theyre rounded off, they sould be replaced. They should also be a little caramel colored or a tiny bit black. If they are white or ashy then you have other problems plaguing you. Anyhow try those things and I bet you come out on top! If not, you may have some fuel delivery problems! Let me know how it goes!

Everthing is correct except that BMW e30 plug wires have a solid wire core, so the ohms will be the same if they are 1 foot long or 3, unlike a carbon conductor wires that break down after a while and have higher ohms after time. That's why they last for well over 100,000 miles. Just do a continuity to see if they are good.

I'm actually from E-Town but have recently moved down the WK pkwy. about 25mi. because I run a Fastenal Industrial and Construction Supply store here in Leitchfield. Clarkson is a tiny little dot on the map without so much as a stoplight or sign for that matter! Anyhow I'm about 1h15m from the 'Ville. I do get up there pretty often to get parts and to just hang out on Baxter or Bearno's on 2'nd and Market. Love that BBC ! Where abouts are you in L'Ville?

I'm actually from E-Town but have recently moved down the WK pkwy. about 25mi. because I run a Fastenal Industrial and Construction Supply store here in Leitchfield. Clarkson is a tiny little dot on the map without so much as a stoplight or sign for that matter! Anyhow I'm about 1h15m from the 'Ville. I do get up there pretty often to get parts and to just hang out on Baxter or Bearno's on 2'nd and Market. Love that BBC ! Where abouts are you in L'Ville?

One of these days I will have a mini-meet with 'shaker. You should come.